Orlando's Prineet Sharma on Representing Property Owners

By Adrienne Schofhauser of Super Lawyers on Sunday, October 2, 2011.

In the 2011 issue of Florida Super Lawyers, we profiled eminent domain lawyer Prineet Sharma, a founding partner of Harris Harris Bauerle Sharma in Orlando. He is currently lead attorney for one the largest private infrastructure projects in Florida--Florida Gas Transmission's $2.5 billion pipeline expansion--resolving compensation claims for easements acquired from property owners. But Sharma's typical role is representing the property owners in eminent domain cases. Here, he explains how he approaches that role:

Property is very personal. The ownership of property is probably one of the most fundamental rights that any citizen has and so when the government or a private utility seeks to take that, it is sometimes a very difficult process; it can seem complicated and daunting. I think part of being an owner's lawyer is understanding what that owner's feelings are about the property and the value that they think their property is worth. More than anything, sometimes communication and developing that relationship, at least in my practice, has proven to be successful because it creates trust.

For me, I've always taken whatever time is necessary to be on a person's property for hours. If it's in a case of an orange grove, walk the orange groves. If it's in a case of a development or a manufacturing facility, spend as much time as I need to be prepared in the case--and for that owner to feel that I've made an investment in their case as if it were my own property.

What's interesting [in] Florida is that because [eminent domain is] a constitutional right, whether [the property is worth] $300 or $3 million, it goes through the same process. As an attorney, I find that to be one of the most enjoyable parts of my practice--that it is a constitutional issue that has a framework of how these things are to be decided.

Related Stories

Leveraging past success for future growth Debra Schoenberg, founder of Schoenberg Family Law Group, P.C., located in San Francisco, California was in search of unique ways to attract an affluent client base. As a six-time Super Lawyers selectee, Debra has valued leveraging the Super Lawyers distinction that only five percent of attorneys in Northern California receive, using it as a catalyst for the firm's development.

This recent case study from Super Lawyers highlights how Debra was able to strengthen the firm's footprint in Northern California with a mix of Super Lawyers print and online solutions. Combining print advertising in both Northern California Super Lawyers Magazine and San Francisco magazine with an aggressive online presence in the SuperLawyers.com directory has led to high-quality leads.

In fact, traffic to Debra's Premium Online Attorney Profile increased twenty five times more than that of non-print purchasers across all online profile types in Northern California.

For quite some time we've been intrigued to learn the ways our Super Lawyers and Rising Stars selectees promote and celebrate their accomplishments. Last month, we asked our Facebook community to let us know how they go about sharing the good news (and offered 4 Super Lawyers Pub Glasses as giveaway prize). Lawyers from all over the country sent various answers, each sharing their experiences (some more light-hearted than others). Let's look at what some of the Super Lawyers Facebook community members had to say.

In previous years we have met together after work to toast our good fortune with beers in our Super Lawyers Pub glasses followed by a trip to the children's ward of the local hospital to hand out presents.
-Chris Rosengren

We post notifications on Facebook and add the badge to our website. We also issue a press release.
-Dalma Grandjean

The local business association presented me with a Superman shirt and Clark Kent glasses.
-Adrian Baron

I'm celebrating--by working harder than ever before!
-Erik Roper

I put the notification sticker on the office door, the logo on my website and I smile the entire year.
-Len Ross

I have the plaques hanging on my wall and we post the badge on our email signature lines and on the website.
- Sal Raie

We use our superpowers to fight the good fight every day!
- Jacqueline Harounian

We were truly thrilled with the outpouring of engagement we received from our Facebook community on this topic. With that being said, we will continue to do giveaways throughout the year and we encourage you to participate and let us know what's on your mind. Don't forget to grow your legal network and connect with us today! Like us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on Super Lawyers lists, new product offerings, legal marketing trends, and legal news.

It's been a busy month for us here at Super Lawyers and we wanted to recap the editorial subjects for the three magazines released: 2016 New York Metro - Top Women special section in The New York Times Newspaper, 2016 Colorado Super Lawyers Magazine and the 2016 Texas Super Lawyers Magazine - Rising Stars.

Be sure to check out our cover story on business litigator Robbie Kaplan and her storied history being an advocate for same-sex marriage. Kaplan is thrilled that her son will grow up in a world where same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. "The amount of 'pinch me' is hard to put into words. The opinion is everything we could have wanted and more-it's not narrow, it's not limited. It's truly amazing."

Kaplan also has extensive experience representing a diverse group of clients such as JP Morgan Chase, Fitch Ratings, Columbia University, the Minnesota Vikings and Airbnb in complex, high-profile matters. She has been active, for example, in matters involving stock analyst's recommendations, market timing in mutual funds, reinsurance transactions and structured finance transactions.

In this edition of Colorado Super Lawyers Magazine, there are several noteworthy topics involving our editorial subjects. From law school at the University of Wyoming to facing discrimination of his own to garnering a multi-million dollar settlement, Qusair Mohamedbhai has seen quite a bit. Next we featured intellectual property attorney Christopher Seidman who works to protect artists' rights in a digital age. And lastly we sat down with Craig Umbaugh who talked to us about his pivotal role in building stadiums in Denver and around the country.

Also don't miss our "Word for Word" section where we had some fun by posing the question "What's your favorite legal movie?" See one of the responses below.

The Verdict"It shows many human failings-greed, corruption, addiction, deception-yet depicts how justice is still somehow attainable against insurmountable odds. It also shows the rewards for making the correct moral decision and standing up for what is right. I think it is a good lesson to the public regarding how lawyers can stand to protect those who can't protect themselves. Paul Newman is also one of the best actors of all time."

In this issue we are honored to tell the stories of amazing attorneys who are making a difference. That includes business litigator Adam Milasincic, with Houston's Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing, who tells us about the many hats he has worn: reporter, campaign manager and even disc jockey. One title will remain for life: highest scorer of 2,464 test-takers on the 2011 Texas Bar exam. Then at KoonsFuller in Southlake, family law attorney Jessica Janicek has handled headline-grabbing cases such as the 2013 struggle by Marlise Muñoz's family to have a brain-dead, pregnant woman removed from life support. And Richard Cheng, co-head of the health care group at Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller in Dallas, tells how a willingness to take risks led him to a successful career in his complex practice area.

We hope you enjoyed this sneak preview of our latest Super Lawyers Magazines. Be sure to visit SuperLawyers.com/Digital to see all our digital editions.

About Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Learn More »